Second Chances
by AceAmi
Summary: Even after the ninja practice died away, and Konoha with it, there are still issues to settle. Gathered by a group of shinobi reincarnates on a mission, Tenten and her companions regain their power to oppose the Akatsuki - the last standing in the way. But when the past returns to present, Tenten finds the turning point of this battle in her hands. (Pairings found within)
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to it's rightful owners (****_hint hint _****not me)**

**A.N: So, all the pairings in the story will be (or are planned to be): ItaTema, ShikaIno, NaruHina, SasuSaku and, of course, NejiTen!**

**Chapter One**

A strange sensation prickled at the back of Tenten's neck, making the fine hairs on her skin stand up. Something kept distracting her enough to make her turn her head at every step, her guard raised. And whatever it was, it made Tenten feel ungrounded, limitless fear – something nearly unheard of for the brave girl. Desperately, she wanted to call out for them to come out of hiding, yet she was also desperately afraid of what might happen next, who – or what – it might be. Wishing her friend Sakura was beside her to support her; Tenten barely realized when her pace quickened into a run, then a sprint as she dashed through the dark alleys and pathways home.

Panting as she reached the door of her apartment, she spun around wildly for the source of the feeling that hadn't disappeared. Silently drawing a pocket knife, her eyes caught a blur at the side of the building. In a flash, someone had her in a headlock, catching her by surprise. Tenten felt the mysterious figure slip something into her hand, before taking off.

Breathing deep as the adrenaline passed, Tenten clutched her head as she tried to calm down from the strange occurrence. Sliding her key into the lock, she hazily remembered slipping into her house and had nearly gotten to her living room when everything hit her. Shaking, her knees collapsed underneath her, leaving her sprawled out over the floor as she took in deep breaths. Cloth ruffled against her hand, a reminder of whatever the person had given her. Using her knife to cut the sealed bag, she stared at the slip of paper within it. Reaching in, curiosity took over her as she decided (most likely against the better judgement) to read it. And on it were four words.

When she read those four words, her blood ran cold and drained from her face.

**OoOoO**

Something strange was happening, and Sakura knew it.

She also knew she was caught in the middle of it.

The feeling that she was being watched haunted her since morning, but she merely brushed it off as anxiety for her piano exam that was scheduled for today. Even when the exam was over though, it persisted – possibly even growing stronger – as she was growing scared.

Waving off her parents' concern, she acted as normally as she could – but her silent torture continued. Even when she was in the privacy of her room, she knew something felt wrong - so very, very wrong. And so, she made her way to the roof of her large condominium, where she hoped to see the base of her problems. But, just like the rest of the day, she could never figure whose eyes it was – only that it made her feel… insecure.

Now, Sakura was quite used to staring – after all, she had an unnatural shade of pink hair, paired with contrasting green eyes. But this was different – this was not the stare of a curious passerby. It was the dead-on, strong glare of someone filled with resentment and ambition.

Resentment for whom, and ambition for what, she could not guess, but she guessed that it was going to go against her.

And suddenly, she felt warm breath on the nape of her neck. Reaching to give the perpetrator a steady punch, she suddenly felt her arm halted by a large hand. A piece of paper slipped past her palm onto the stone floor, and the weight pressing against her back disappeared. Staring at the piece of paper for a few moments, she numbly picked it up and ran her fingers across the words – words that she read, but did not yet understand. A gust of wind flew by her, and the paper slipped away. Then, the meaning, the emotions, dawned on her.

And she barely had enough air to live in her lungs after she let out a sobbing wail.

**OoOoO**

Ino ran a hand through her long platinum hair in attempt to calm herself down (for, maybe, the millionth time today) but her heartbeat was erratic from adrenaline. Rubbing the raised goose bumps along her skin, she chanted calming rhymes and songs under her breath – a method her mother taught her to relieve herself of stress. It was a tried and proved method, yet nothing could stop the utter _fear _from gnawing at her heart and nerves. Biting her lip, Ino desperately tried to stop the shaking of her limbs in effort to at least outwardly collected, yet to no avail. Chastising herself for being such a coward from such a baseless fear, she absentmindedly picked up a buttercup from the ground of the garden, twirling it between her fingers in an anxious fashion. As a commonly fearless girl, it was perplexing to her why she was so terrified from absolutely nothing. When any other girl would have her knees buckling, Ino could hold strong. Yet, somehow, this fear was so _different. _It wasn't the anxiety when confessing, it wasn't the fear when you feel all eyes, nor was it the type of fear when you are met with a difficult situation in a romantic situation. Even when Ino didn't know where this fear came from, she did know this at least – _how _she knew was something she was left in the dark about as well.

Taking a deep breath in, Ino sat down on a wooden bench, gazing over the garden as she tried to sort through her muddled thoughts. Yet in the end, all she could do was keep all thoughts at bay as she examined the colorful flowers in her family's garden. Standing p once again, Ino stopped when she felt something soft brushing against her leg. Curiously, she glanced downwards at her foot, eyes widening as she stared the peony that had been laid upon the ground. Surely, it hadn't been there just a second ago, right?

Reaching down, a shiver ran through Ino's arm as grabbed hold of the strong stem, examining the many petals of the flower. It was as pink as candy, open to its fullest bloom. In every way this flower was beautiful, just a breath away from perfection, yet a cold weight dawned upon her as she gawked at the flower. The barricade she had been able to keep on her fear, her thoughts, exploded as she picked up a stray petal that had fallen to the ground. Black ink was scrawled upon it, but her mind could not process what it said yet – she was lost inside her thoughts, and fighting her way to the front.

Then, _silence._

Unimaginable, out-of-order, maniac fear settled in, in place of all the scattered thoughts. And Ino barely had time to scream.

**OoOoO**

Temari stood suddenly, growling at the heat of a gaze upon her. Raising her arm, she raised a small gun that she had within her back pocket, scanning the area around her for any unwelcome beings. When she saw nothing, she reluctantly pocketed the weapon, guard raised from anxiety.

Suddenly, a branch snapped, and on reflex Temari pointed a gun in that direction and shot. The sound of metal hitting wood resounded through the small clearing as she stood, arm raised, with smoke curling at the tip of her gun.

And she jumped and ran.

Very obviously to her, Temari was not safe in that clearing, so she turn and ran through the trees on a practiced yet unused path. Her hand had a deathly grip upon her pistol's handle, knuckles turning white. The continued whoosh of wind in her ear only barely clouded over the sound of feet padding along the mud ground and jumping from branches, making her run faster a the idea of being chased. Breaking into a cold sweat, her chest heaved up and down as she ran through the forest, before halting at a split in the path, leaping into the highest tree.

A single figure paused for a beat at the pathway, before continuing on in a very fast pace. Had she not thought of such a strategy, Temari was sure she would have been caught. Giving a sigh of relief, she shifted her position, before her muscles tensed at a presence behind her.

Rising the gun she had never let go of, she faced the figure. A hand shot out of the dark shadows shrouding him, covering the gun before she could shoot. Upon inspection, Temari realized he must be the presence she had shot earlier, evident from the tear on his sleeve. Lowering her gun in suspicion, her arm shot up once again and aimed towards the figure's face as soon as the hand left her gun. The figure shifted, glancing over the edge of the branch, before calmly placing a hand back on the barrel of her gun, as well as another one on her arm. Pulling the trigger Temari growled in annoyance when she only heard hollow _clicks. _Yanking her arm from the figure's grasp, she produced a small pocket knife, which she pointed at the figure threateningly. Two arms rose in submission, which she slowly lowered the knife too.

"State your identity and your goal, or God help you when I stab you with this knife."

Sighing, the figure nodded, before replying. "Itachi Uchiha and I have come to deliver a message. As for the knife," looking defiantly into her green eyes, Temari realized with a start that his eyes were _red_. "I don't believe you will try. After all, I'm trying to aid you."

Clenching onto her blade, Temari nodded curtly. "Take one more step and I will stab you. Now, what is your message?"

Red eyes stared at her, a darkness settling into them as he relayed their words to her.

"They're it."

**A.N:"They're ****_it_****? What could this mean?" It means stuff. And the message Itachi relayed to Temari was two words because the actual messages were "_, you are it." Not really a spoiler, just to clear stuff up.**

**This will be a rewrite of my old, old, OLD story 'Reincarnation', but if you think that it's going to be a lot like it then NO YOU'RE WRONG FORGET ABOUT THAT OLD STORY OKAY DEAL. I made some (read: a lot of) M-A-J-O-R changes to the plotline, and my writing style did a 180 as well (I think?), so It's basically a new story. And if you don't know what I'm talking about, I'm never going to bring it up again, so forget it and leave the past as past, okay? Thanks. :D**

**Reviews are lovely,, compliments are ****_heaven_****, and flames will be used to bake these wonderful pastries I've got in the oven. See you, maybe one week, maybe one week and a half, later! I have vacation now, so uploads shall be fast, unless I a) lose to a Writer's Block or b) get lost with my own story.**

**Well... Bye!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

_"They're it."_

Incredulously, Temari stared at the stranger – Itachi Uchiha, he said his name was. That code was something that had been unused for a very long time now, and it was not something she had ever wanted to hear again.

After all, the last time it was used somebody died, and another nearly did.

"What?" Even though she was sure she had heard correctly, Temari stared at the figure in a mixture of horror and fear. Patiently, he stared at her, gaze pitying and understanding as he watched her try to collect herself. Slowly, he repeated what he had said before.

"They're it – Red, Pink and Violet."

Her mouth worked to form words, tongue as dry as sandpaper. Letting out a small choke, she clenched onto the bark until her fingers were numb. "Is this a joke?"

"No."

Staring at the blade in her hand, she took a deep breath. Calm rippled across her fear, as well as a strong sense of duty and protection. Lifting her chin, Temari nodded at Itachi.

"Then let's go."

**OoOoO**

A heavy mist shrouded the clearing, emitting an eerie aura that made Tenten want to drop to her knees. The piece of paper she had been given was clenched tightly in her fist, and it took all of her self-control to stop her hand from reaching one of the many guns and knives she had hidden in the folds of her clothing. Adrenaline pumped through her blood, numbing the stinging the sensation she felt when blood dripped from a shallow wound she had inflicted upon her own self while biting her lip in fear and anxiety. Nails dug into the soft flesh of her palm, surely leaving some res imprints as she clenched and unclenched her fist. A sore ache ran along her jaw from putting too much tension on it – something that rarely occurred to her. In fact, it was out of place for her even _feel _so much negativity at once, considering her usual candid and cheerful exterior.

In fact, the only time she felt so utterly _terrible _had gotten her into a hospital and a large part of her memory blank. The thought of a past coming to haunt her and a repeat of history made her head hurt, adding onto the oncoming migraine she had felt – an occurrence that took place ever since _then. _Taking a deep breath, Tenten scanned the area for both enemies and comrades – finding neither in the thick mist.

Mud squelched beneath her boots, the fresh scent of the pond drifting past her with a slight breeze. Supressing a shiver, Tenten climbed up a strong pine in effort to get a better view of the clearing. Sure enough, the fog had dissipated a miniscule amount from the increasing force of wind, but Tenten disappointedly noted that it was still too thick for her to see much. Leaning against the trunk, her hand strayed to a large pocket in her pants – the hiding place of an especially favored gun of hers. Her eyes fluttered closed as she desperately tried to meditate – or something near to it, for the matter – but blurry images and four words haunted her as soon as her eyelids covered her sight.

_Weapon, Blossom, Flower, Breeze…_

Eyes snapping open, Tenten ran a suddenly parched tongue across her cracked lips. A metallic taste filled her mouth as she licked clean her cut, making her lips pucker. Running another scan of the area, her hand grabbed hold of her gun when she realized a shadow was heading in her direction. And suddenly… It _vanished. _Into the wind, like mirage, it just disappeared from her eyes. Disbelief replaced caution, curiosity taking over her being as she leaped from her hiding spot. Yes, right where the finger used to be there were imprints in the mud – _footsteps. _But how was it that those footsteps just simply _vanished_? Running a hand along the ground, the squelch of weight settling into the mud jolted her out of her thoughtful trance, as well as the soft _swish _of fabric moving. The mist finally cleared, however achingly slowly those minutes passed as it did, Tenten found herself surrounded by crouched figures, rifles raised. Panic settled into her gut, clenching at her stomach, multiplying her fear an unlimited amount. And suddenly, she felt… _calm. _Her body flowed through movements, almost as if she was a girl gone possessed, multiple knives meeting predetermined targets with hissed sounds of anguish and splashes of thick red blood. When her knives had all run out, guns found their way to her hands as she shot down every perpetrator in non-fatal areas – restricting movement but not sentencing death just yet. Multiple other attacks were thrown at her – both solid weapons and dangerous spheres of strange _energy_ – but she ran from all of them, occasionally countering with her own. Confidence surged in her at her newfound skills, but she soon she realized just how _capable _her opponents were.

It started as a small gust of wind, something Tenten really didn't care for. In her movements, she hardly realized when her movements became sluggish to her mind, passing it off as fatigue. The world was starting to get a little bit paler to her, but she dismissed it as the combination of smoke from her shots and the mist creeping its way back into the meadow. A thin sliver of energy, as sharp as a blade, pierced her skin yet her mind was sluggish to feel pain and realize she was bleeding. Tenten had a strange sense of trepidation crawl up her neck then, but she brushed it off as adrenaline. And then, her world seemed to change; time started move slower, her limbs felt like years' worth of fatigue and millions of weight had been strapped to them, and slowly she felt the edges of her vision turn black as they collapsed inwards like a vignette. Her sense of touch became so dull, her mind so isolated, as to barely feel something wrapping around her before she fell into liquid darkness.

**OoOoO**

Ino was the first of the girls to fully wake up. Frowning at the emptiness of the room, she found that she was not scared in the least bit – perhaps she had been scared enough today and her body decided that it could not handle another wave of fright. Lips forming into a pout, she shook her shackled wrists and ankles in futile attempts to release herself. Realizing that these attempts were indeed fruitless, she resorted to yelling instead – no really obvious sentences, just screaming for attention.

"Troublesome woman…" Cocking her head at the voice, Ino paused her loud cries for a second, before letting them start up again. Before she could utter another squeak however, a hand came up to her mouth to muffle her. The flesh was quickly replaced with fabric before Ino had decided to bite the guy, leaving her thrashing around with muffle curses. The person let out a long yawn, before moving in front of the blonde, to which she immediately stopped moving.

He looked very prude and lazy, to be crass. With black hair pulled into an uptight ponytail at the top of his head like some stupid old man and drowsy half-lidded eyes that she suspected were closed more than twice the time they were actually open, Ino declared to herself that probably wouldn't like him that much. After all, how could a sleep, good-for-nothing like him keep up with perfect, bubbly _her_?

Reaching out a hand, he flicked her forehead, to which she let out a stream of insults. Patiently, he stared at her until she was finished, which he then sighed.

"Shikamaru Nara pleased to make your acquaintance." With that, he headed out the door, to which she shouted obscene things at him for leaving him like this. Turning back, he raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, you're great too _Pig._" He retorted, just before he slammed the door. Ino yelled and screamed and thrashed in her bed, trying to free herself from this stupid bed so she could go _kick his goddamn lazy ass_, before becoming content with just glaring death and murder at the door.

_Oh, the nerve…_

**OoOoO**

Temari paced across the three sets of doors, Itachi's eyes following her nervous movement as they waited in front of the three rooms. Walking over, he placed an arm on her shoulder to stop her before ushering her over to a seat – a movement he had repeated for the past two hours, yet every time he tried she glared at him, yanked her shoulder back and resumed pacing. That is, before Ino's door opened and Shikamaru shuffled out. Temari stared at him, eyes expectant. The boy merely shrugged, before cupping a hand over his ear to the muffled sounds in the room.

"She's awake."

Raising a curious eyebrow, Temari took a deep, calming breath, before glancing at Itachi for support and heading towards the room, which had fallen strangely silent. Opening the door and poking her head, Temari blinked at the furious atmosphere.

_Just what the hell did he say?_

Cautiously, Temari made her way to Ino, who was busy glaring at a wall. When the blonde didn't turn her attention away from trying to burn holes into the wall, Temari tapped her on the shoulder, to which Ino gasped in surprise. Untying the scarf wrapped around her mouth, Temari unlocked the shackles restricting the other girl's movement and smiling at her comfortingly.

"There's a lot I- _we _need to tell you, but let's wait for Sakura and Tenten to wake up, okay?"

**A.N: Woohoo chapter two! So yeah, some ShikaIno action here (I always thought they would meet this way, but then likeand love each other in the end).**

**SO special thanks too my dear precious reviewers ****_Dreaming101 _****and ****_FruitySmell _you two are beautiful people~**

**Reviews are so lovely with hearts and cherries, compliments are Utopian and flames will be used to bake magical cookies. See you soon - I hope!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Aching pain darted lightning streaks across Sakura's vision as she blearily opened her eyes. Her arm twitched to massage her temples in attempt to rid herself of the terrible migraine, but she was only met numbness. Upon further inspection, both of her hands had been chained to the unusually comfortable bed she was laying on, her right arm in a cast. Muddled thoughts mixed around her brain, but all she ended up resorting to doing was to sigh and lean back down onto the feather-soft pillows. Her eyes slowly blinked back closed as her mind floated between wakefulness and light sleep. Groaning at the throbbing her head, Sakura tossed around in her unstable slumber before a cool hand had been placed on her forehead, halting her movements. A blurry image of a black haired man with the deepest onyx eyes she ever saw snaked her way through her mind slowly as she murmured one final, slurred word.

"Sasuke…"

_Sakura looked around the emptiness surrounding her. Black had filled every corner of the world, shadows leaping and attacking her. Blindly, she thrashed in the dark, hands grasping at nothing searching for… what? What was she searching for in this darkness? Why did it feel like she lost something precious to her?_

_Slowly, she realized the world was suddenly in color – but it wasn't her world. Forests ran along the background of a noisy town, filled with people. Reaching out to a silver-haired man, a name on the tip of her tongue, Sakura's eyes widened when he passed right though her. Desperately, she searched for his name, but it was gone – disappeared like smoke. Suddenly, she was filled with a sense of trepidation. Without meaning to, her feet took on a life of their own and she raced across the town – the scenery was getting blurrier by the moment, and she doubted it was because of her speed. But, this person… she needed to find him!_

_Then, just as suddenly as she started, she stopped. The scene was beginning to blacken, but she desperately needed to find him. Raking her eyes in search of a mysterious face, she saw a flash of hair before the world collapsed on itself, she reached out her hand desperately, calling something – his name, presumably. But he was already gone, along with that precious memory – a memory that she was already beginning to forget. Every time she reached out, she was pushed back – like an invisible current. In one final push, she felt herself being rocketed forwards – almost like someone was guiding her. Soon, another scene unfolded before her._

_This time, it was dark – nighttime, most likely. Streetlamps shined down on her as she walked over to a boy with spiked raven hair. He had his back turned to her, but he had stopped walking so he must know she was there. Holding back tears, she opened her mouth to ask where he was going – somehow, she knew that even if he didn't answer her, the answer was obvious. When he replied, his voice echoed across the world like they were in a glass room that would break at even at the slightest sound. _

_"Nowhere."_

_It wasn't the answer she knew should accompany this scene, but all the same she cried and wrapped her arms around him. Through the tears, she asked him, begged him not to leave her, not to leave everybody else. In response, he turned around faced her, wrapping her with his own embrace as he comfortingly played with the ends of her hair._

"I told you, I'm not going anywhere."

Blinking, Sakura stared at the dark blue material surrounding her. The shackles around her arms and legs had been released – _when? _Silently, she sniffled into the cloth, the sobs from her dream residing. Glancing up, she looked at his face. Though she didn't know why, he was so achingly familiar, and she needed to know why. Closing her eyes, she took a few calming breathes, before turning up at him again.

"Who?"

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha." Frowning at the name, Sakura shook her head slowly. That name brought back an old sadness in her chest, and it felt as though she should remember it, perhaps even treasure it, but she didn't.

"You're Sakura, right?" Nodding meekly, she followed as Sasuke lead her to the bathroom. "You should get cleaned up – you're meeting your friends soon."

**OoOoO**

Tenten awoke to a world of white.

Blinking away the sleep from her clouded brown eyes, an out-of-place clanking sound jarred her from her slow thought process. Raising her head as much as she could, Tenten confirmed that her wrists had indeed been locked in place, along with her ankles.

Growling, she shook her limbs, struggling to free them.

"It will do you no good to struggle. The chains will hold."

Twisting her neck, Tenten frowned at the white-eyed man in front of her. Long brown-black hair hung down his back in a low ponytail, framing his face and emitting a strange regal aura. Immediately, Tenten had decided that she would most likely dislike the boy – ignoring the inkling of admiration she felt towards him for having such a powerful atmosphere.

"Then unlock them!"

Looking at her with those grayscale eyes of his, he sighed and complied with her demand. In a moment, the metal bars limiting her physical movement were lifted.

Rubbing her sore wrists, Tenten sat up and was immediately overtaken by multiple waves of nausea and dizziness. Taking a deep breath, she pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes in attempt to stall the oncoming headache she felt.

Gradually, but surely, the nausea began to clear away. Shifting to the foot of the bed she had been laying on, Tenten stood up.

And then she promptly collapsed.

The man was there in a moment, supporting her back to the bed and lying her back down once again. Blinking from the sudden illness she felt – w_hen had simply standing took this much energy? _– Tenten squeezed her eyes shut and gripped the white blanket underneath her. Breathing sharply, she looked weakly at her roommate, who had merely been standing by the side of the bed.

Wetting fried lips, she pushed herself upright against a white pillow and laid her head between her knees. "W-where am I?"

"A room, recovering from a poison the opponent used in battle."

Looking at a fixed point across the room, Tenten suddenly remembered her friends. "Hey…"

"Neji," the man, now known to be Neji, supplied helpfully.

"Hey Neji, what about Temari, Ino and Sakura? T-they were supposed to be with me…Did you find them?"

"Yes, Ino and Sakura are recovering in their in their own rooms, and Temari was beyond the vicinity of the poison when used."

Nodding slowly, a familiar drowsiness began to creep into Tenten's mind, eyelids drooping heavily. Slowly letting herself back down, a thought crawled through her mind.

"Oi, Neji-san…"

The man, who had just begun to turn away, looked back at her. He stood there, waiting patiently for her to continue.

"I… My name is Tenten…" She whispered, before her eyes fluttered shut.

Casting another glance at the sleeping girl in the bed, Neji's eyes softened.

_I know who you are…_

**OoOoO**

Slowly, Tenten's consciousness began to rise above her subconscious as she woke, like water and oil finally separating in a container. Stirring slightly, she meekly blinked open her eyes before squeezing them shut at the harsh white surrounding the room she was in. _White walls, white bed, white ceiling, white curtains… _

White eyes.

Bolting upright, she stared at the fidgeting girl with white eyes by her bed – she looked like Neji, but looked completely different as well. As the girl tried (and, quite frankly, failed) to stutter an explanation, a voice rang out from the doorway.

"Is she up as well?"

Turning her torso to face Temari, Tenten nodded in response.

"Then I guess it's time we had a talk."

**A.N: Voila! Chapter Three!**

**Well, I really don't have much to say but a special thanks to ****_Dreaming101 _****and ****_Marionne345_**** for reviewing!**

**Compliments are beauty, reviews are utopian and flames shalt be used to bake a pie. See you a later!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"Now, I'm sure we all have questions – but let's start with introductions first," Temari announced, gesturing to herself. "Again, my name is Temari Sabaku, as all of you should know." Following her statement, Temari introduced the names of everybody in the room. "Itachi Uchiha; Sakura Haruno; Sasuke Uchiha; Hinata Hyuga; Neji Hyuga; Tenten; Shikamaru Nara; Ino Yamanaka – it is nice to meet you all, if we have not yet been acquainted, and if we have been, then hello again. Starting today, we shall all be working together towards a common goal; Itachi-san will explain said goal, and if any others would like to contribute information then you are welcome to do so. Tenten, Sakura and Ino – save your questions to the end."

Nodding, Itachi stood from the loveseat he had been seated upon and addressed the rest of the group. "Now, let me address the newcomers first; the group you so bravely fought before were the Akatsuki; a group committed to the revival of Orochimaru. They have been gaining many members and teaching them the art of battle by the three Jutsu groups, also commonly referred to as the Ninja Arts – Ninjutsu, Genjutsu and Taijutsu. This fighting style is foreign – from an alternate universe perhaps you could say. This universe is where we have all lived and died in, though it may not be the first time we have encountered this situation. Of course, it's quite complicated, so I don't expect you to understand at once." Coughing into his hand, Itachi continued. "The most simplistic explanation is this: we were reincarnated from another world to this world, as a continuation of our original life – however long ago that was. Many of our memories may be locked for the time being, but our great leader Tsunade Senju has developed a therapy proven to aid these thoughts in returning. This can be better expanded on later, but that time is not of current. Our main goal right now is the recruitment of a blond boy – our last leader in our past life, who still continues to harbor the overbearing power of the Nine-Tailed Beast. Recently, we have come across the information that Naruto is in the hands of the Akatsuki, or very close in the least. In order to get through to him, we must defeat the Akatsuki – which our more powerful older shinobi are currently deployed to do. The catch is that our numbers are very few compared to the Akatsuki, so we must both outwit and overpower them. And so, over the course of the next few months we shall unlock the maximum number of memories we are able to, and train you to your past level of power, at minimal. Perhaps it may be quite precarious to assume that we have the ability to do so, but such optimism is needed. So please, I request you join us in this mission – Sakura-san, Ino-san, Tenten-san."

When the three gazes turned towards Temari, she raised an eyebrow. "I have already agreed to their cause."

Turning towards each other, the girls nodded silently to the agreement in each of their gazes. If Temari had already taken up to the offer, then it was probable that they should give this group a chance.

"Alright, you've got us. But that doesn't mean you guys have earned our trust yet…" Trailing off threateningly, Ino glared at Itachi in warning.

"Of course, such is predictable, Ino-san." Smiling gently, Itachi nodded towards the girls. "Thank you for giving us a chance; I look forwards to working together from now on. If you have questions, you may ask your escorts as you pack and move."

"Tenten, you're with Neji; Ino, you're with Shikamaru and Hinata – God knows how much manpower you'll need with those piles of junk you call your possessions; Sakura's with Sasuke; I'm going with Itachi. We meet in here once again after you're finished moving. Meeting dismissed." With some final exchanges and waves, the organized groups parted and set off to their destinations.

**OoOoO**

Scanning the empty corridor they were walking in, Temari sighed in relief for the privacy. If her hunches were correct, it wouldn't be pretty if any of the girls found out.

"Itachi."

"Yes, Temari-san?"

"The Akatsuki…" Cringing at the horrid thought, Temari swallowed the lump in her throat. "Are they connected to the incident of six years ago?"

The Uchiha felt her steady and prodding gaze upon him as he hesitantly answered her question. "… Most likely, they were the masterminds behind it."

Biting her cheek, Temari looked onto the ground.

_Tenten… Be careful…_

**OoOoO**

Sniffling, Tenten scrunched up her nose to try and stop the sneeze tickling her nostrils. Thankfully, the sensation passed after some time – she didn't want to blow any dust around.

"Is this all?"

Glancing at her partner, Tenten nodded at the three boxes he carried. "Yeah, but be careful – wouldn't want you hurting yourself, okay?"

"Hn," he responded. Frowning, he muttered under his breath, "Byakugan."

_Byakugan?_

"It's a special Ninja Art carried in my bloodline, and which my bloodline can only activate." _Blink. _"You were staring, so I thought you would like to know." _Oh._

"Eh? Ah, sorry – didn't mean to stare." Tenten rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. Neji had turned his face towards, so she could see the exaggerated veins surrounding his white eyes. Returning her eyes to the last box she was packing, she let her thoughts wander as her hands moved mechanically to organize her possessions. _A bloodline trait…_

Sealing the cardboard box closed, she lifted it and another box to the green van parked outside her apartment building. Taking one last wistful glance at the door of her long-lasting home, she smiled in nostalgia. _Farewell, my humble abode. _Breaking into a run, Tenten placed the boxes in the trunk, slamming the cover down and climbed into the shotgun seat beside Neji.

"Thanks for the help."

Nodding, Neji started down the road, and as Tenten looked on ahead, she swallowed the strange feeling rising in her throat – fear? Anticipation? Excitement?

_Oh well – doesn't matter now._

Twisting her waist, Tenten waved at the familiar people on the streets one final time.

_I'm leaving anyways._

_But… Can I really leave __**those**__ memories behind?_

Even if she couldn't, Tenten knew she had to try.

Healing had to start somewhere, anyways.

**OoOoO**

That night, Temari invited the three girls into her room for another 'talk'. Without really saying anything, they all knew what this one was going to center around – and none of them were very eager to broach the subject.

Therefore, they all sat on the bed silently, paying attention to anything but the matter at hand. Ino examined her manicure with more attention than she ever bothered to spare, Sakura skimmed through her large novel, Tenten polished each and every gun and knife she was given with extreme meticulousness and Temari just stared in her lap, as if she would find a pool of words there and be able to pick just the right ones to say. Picking at the green cloth of her sleepwear, the blonde's mouth opened and closed, before she finally managed to speak a word and break the silence.

"Tenten…"

Looking up from her weaponry (she had accepted them from Itachi while unpacking) her finger traced absent-minded patterns on the cool steel. Her neutral expression softened at the concern and worry in her friend's eyes, eyes flitting to Ino and Sakura as well – who both had turned their attention to Temari. "…I'm alright. It's time to leave the past, right?"

"No- I mean yes- I mean…" Trailing off, Temari took a deep breath and sighed. "Yeah… We should."

"Then who's up for some sleep? Or maybe, it should be who is down for some sleep… Ah well, this atmosphere you're giving off is weird, Temari! So I'm hitting the sack for tonight!" Waving cheerily, Ino dragged Sakura out into the hallway without any hesitation or pause for a reply. "Good night!"

"Ino-Pig! Let me go! Oh, and good night Tenten, good night Temari – see you tomorrow!" Sakura managed to squeeze in before the door closed.

Turning to each other, Tenten giggled. "Same as ever, aren't they? Well, I guess I should retire for the night too. Good night, Temari!" Tenten said, flopping onto the bed next to Temari's (they were all arranged to share a room for security reasons).

Chuckling, Temari shook her head at her childishness, before flicking off the lights. "Good night, Tenten…"

_I'll have to tell them sometime, but I guess it doesn't have to be tonight…_

**OoOoO**

"Ino- oomph!"

Struggling against the silencing hand Ino had slammed onto her mouth, Sakura rolled her eyes when Ino put a finger to her lips. Prying the hand off her mouth, she glared at her friend. "What?" She hissed – albeit quietly.

"Temari was trying to tell us something back there, but for some reason she couldn't say it."

"Yeah, no duh, Pig!"

"_Shush_!" Scanning for any attracted attention, Ino placed a finger back on Sakura's lips. "The thing is that I have a hunch that this _something _is connected with _then. _Considering how that incident affected Tenten, no wonder Temari is keeping it a secret."

Eyebrows furrowing at what the blonde was leading up to, Sakura frowned. "But if it has to do with _then_, then it's probably important information. But f Tenten knows…"

Nodding, Ino crossed her arms. "She might freak. That's why we have to find out _what _is being hidden from us, _and we have to do it without alerting Tenten._"

**A.N: Woah, hey there lovelies! Didn't see you for a while there! So, here's the fourth chapter, with a grand entrance (not really)!**

**Sorry for tat mini-hiatus, but stuff was happening. And I'm guessing you don't really care what 'stuff' was happening, so let's skip that summary. So! Long no see, lovely reviewers, but special thanks to ****_Dreaming101_****, ****_Marionne345 _****and ****_Fr_****uity****_Smell_**** for reviewing.**

**Um... What was it that I said again? I'm sorry, it's been so long...**

**Oh yeah!**

**Reviews are as lovely as you, compliments the most rad thing possible and flames will be used to make ART! (I am so sorry I've been engrossed in Deidara for this past week, so...) Until then, See ya!**


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